Revelation
by ASH.l.e.i.11
Summary: Season 1 Finale. What if it really had been Elena, and not Katherine? What if Jenna hadn't opened the door? How far would Elena go with the brother of the man she loves?  No longer a one-shot.
1. The Kiss

_Disclaimer: All material (except the last lines), characters etc. belongs to the CW._

_Hey, just an idea I've had floating around in my head for a while, thought I'd finally get it written. Hope you enjoy._

_Damon's POV_

* * *

I opened the door of Elena's house, and who else but the girl herself – who had occupied my thoughts for most of the day – would choose that moment to walk up the stairs towards me. Her arms were laden with her Founder's Day gown, along with all her other belongings.

"What are you doing here?" She asked me, a look of slight confusion in her eyes. Maybe she thought I'd be recuperating from my latest near-death experience; the death that would actually kill me, I mean.

I closed the door behind me. "Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing," I replied. It surprised me how much I'd changed. As if the fact that I'd actually _tried_ to do the right thing wasn't shocking enough, I was now admitting that I'd _failed_ in doing it.

"Which was..?" Her eyes tightened in, as if she were afraid of my answer, having just come from her home.

I walked forward so she could see that there was nothing menacing in my features. "It doesn't matter," I told her shaking my head slightly. "Let me take those for you," I said quietly.

Taking her things from her arms I moved and set them down on the bench to my left. I heard her footsteps as she followed behind me. "Thank you," she said.

I half turned towards her as I spoke; something about her presence was _compelling_ me to be honest with her. "You know I came to this town wanting to destroy it, tonight I...found myself wanting to protect it. How's that happened?" I asked, my eyebrows pulling together. I wasn't sure why I was seeking an answer from her – there was no need to; she _was_ the answer. It still didn't solve anything though.

"I'm not a hero, Elena," I told her, "I don't do 'good.' It's not _in_ me." I thought it best to warn her now, admit what I was; though it's not like she didn't already know. But I wanted her to be prepared. I wasn't sure whether this change was permanent.

"Maybe it is," she said. I got a slight impression that she hoped that was true. Maybe that hope was her only reason for caring; especially after everything I've done to her.

"No," I said quietly, knowing there would always be some darkness inside of me. "No, that's reserved for my brother...and you, and Bonnie. Even though she has every reason to hate me, still helped Stefan save me..." I tried not to think about the flames, how close it had really been.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Her question confused me a little, but I answered nevertheless.

I took a few steps closer towards her. "'Cause she did it for you," I stated, "Which means that somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving. And I wanted to _thank_ you, for that." It felt strange to say these words – even to Elena.

"You're welcome," she told me honestly.

Words didn't seem enough. I leant forward and placed a kiss upon her cheek, probably lingering for longer than I should have. The proximity became too much.

I found it hard to look away from her lips, and the only movement my eyes made was moving upwards to meet hers; deep down we both knew this had been coming. I wanted her confirmation that this was okay, that I wasn't going too far. I saw no hint of hesitation in her eyes. They were doing the exact same thing as mine.

I kissed her softly, slowly, at first, waiting for her to respond before deepening it. She tilted forwards, stretching up into the kiss. My left hand held her hair back, resting on her neck, caressing her jaw line, whilst my right wound round her waist. She seemed to melt in my arms as our tongues danced together, her hands clenching onto my shirt collar to hold herself against me.

I pushed her up against the wall of the house. I was gentle though, holding something I actually deemed precious in my arms was more than enough incentive to be careful.

Her arms snaked up around my neck, her fingers threading through my hair. I could feel the hammer of her pulse through her wrists where they rested behind my ears. Every line of her body was pressed against mine, her body heat reaching through to my core – only she was much better than caffeine.

She broke off, panting. I rested my head against the wall, just above her shoulder. The smell of her skin was intoxicating, her hormones adding a new flavour to the mix. I was attracted to it for different reasons though, and I had absolutely no desire for her blood right now.

I felt her body separate from mine, and I moved back, just far enough so that she wasn't touching me or the wall, but there were still only mere inches between us.

"Don't tell Stefan," she whispered, so quietly that someone without my hearing wouldn't have been able to comprehend what she said. She wasn't looking at me, but from what I could see of her features, her face was guilt ridden.

She sidestepped out from in front of me then opened the door quietly and stepped inside; leaving me stood dumbstruck, staring at the place where she'd just been stood. _I know these feeling's_, I thought; _at least this time I know they're real_.

"Isobel was right," I said to myself. I was in love with Elena... And, despite what just happened, she's still in love with Stefan.

_Perfect, _I thought as I turned and began to walk down the steps. I risked a look back to the house from over my shoulder; revealing Elena stood in the doorway, a look of bewilderment on her face. _I never heard the door close_, I realised. _She heard._


	2. A Choice

_This was supposed to be a one shot, but you asked for more so here it is. Please review, thanks. _

_Elena's POV_

* * *

"You love me?" I asked, uncomprehending. Damon couldn't love me... What happened just then was... It was nothing; a fluke. It shouldn't have happened; and I'm ashamed that it did.

"So?" He asked, throwing his arms up in the form of a shrug. "You're in love with Stefan, right?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound escaped my lips.

"That's what I thought." And he walked away; just like that.

I managed to close the door and walked up the stairs to my room in a daze, not bothering to see if anyone else was home. I went to close the door of the bathroom I shared with Jeremy; I didn't want him to peer in and ask what was wrong – if he stopped hating me long enough to even ask, that is.

I'd left the main door open – I seemed to be doing that a lot tonight. I shut it just enough so that a small slither of light illuminated my face as I slid down the wall of my room.

_I kissed him back._ The thought kept going round and round in my head. I wasn't surprised that he'd kissed me, deep down I knew it was likely to happen sometime, even if it was just when he was drunk and he mistook me for Katherine. No; what bothered me most was that _I'd_ kissed him...and enjoyed it.

He was right, of course; _I'm still in love with Stefan_. _One kiss doesn't change anything_; or at least that's what I was trying to tell myself.

"I love Stefan!" I said loudly into the dimly lit room. "So why can't I stop thinking about Damon?" I whispered. My breath rushed out in frustration, in worry, in guilt.

I was distracted by the sound of the front door opening, and I glanced through the crack in the door to see if...to see who it was, I corrected. Damon wasn't going to come back. He was too upset; with me.

_What does he expect me to do? _I thought, _I'm not going to destroy my whole life for one moment of..._ I refused to think passion.

"Elena!" I responded to my name automatically. "What are you doing outside?" _Huh?_ "It's late come in."

Realisation struck as aunt Jenna stepped aside to let the person in. I wanted to scream out a warning, but it was too late. Katherine had already been invited in. Terror froze me in place as she stepped into the light.

"I'm going to bed," Jenna announced. "You've had a long day; you might want to follow me."

"Yes," Katherine said, "I'll be up shortly." She had a thoughtful look on her face as she headed towards the kitchen; but there was a dark edge to it.

_Jenna thought she was me_, I realised. _Nobody knows I'm here. _I leaned away from the door as Jenna passed, she couldn't know I was here. The phrase 'element of surprise' popped into my head but I dismissed it. Even thinking about taking on Katherine would be stupid. I needed help. My phone was on my bed. I tried to reach for it but it lay beyond my fingertips. Would she hear me if I moved? I had to risk it.

I shuffled slowly across the floor, moving just far enough to reach it. My hands were shaking as I opened my contacts. I scrolled down to Stefan's name, but my finger hesitated over the dial button. _No_, I thought, _I won't do this _now.

Someone screamed. My eyes shot to the door, expecting Katherine to walk through it. In the back of my mind I realised that the scream had been a mans. This time my eyes shot to the bathroom door. Two doors and I'd know whether Jeremy was safe or not. But Katherine would be bound to hear that. Jenna would surely be asleep by now.

Forgetting my feelings I scrolled back up to where 'Damon Salvatore' was listed. Yet again I hesitated on the dial button, but I was running out of time.

"What?" Damon drawled, having finally decided to answer after nine rings.

"I need your help," I whispered, my lips barely moving, my eyes glued to the door.

"Elena, what's wrong?" He asked; his voice sounded anxious. In my head I could see him already heading to the door, or turning back if he hadn't made it home yet.

Distantly, I heard the creak of the stairs. I couldn't afford to explain fully.

"Katherine."


	3. Rescuer

_Thanks for all the favourite stories and story alerts, but you know reviews are the best. _

_Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. _

_Not sure where I'm going to take this, I guess we'll all have to wait and see..._

_Damon's POV_

* * *

_Katherine_. That was all she'd said before disconnecting the line.

My emotional climate felt like a stormy ocean; and I was stuck in the middle of it. My emotions were like strong currents; grabbing hold of me mercilessly and then letting me drop right into the next one without time to recover. A sick part of me was happy she'd returned, then there was all the anger I felt towards her, all the frustration...but most present of all my feelings was worry strong enough to freeze my breathing and make my heart seem even more immobile.

I ran towards her home faster than I had ever ran in my whole life; I was appreciative of the large feed I'd had to soothe my frustration about earlier, it allowed me to push myself further. I hadn't stopped to tell Stefan anything, the terror I heard in Elena's whisper had driven every other thought from my mind. I thought I heard Stefan somewhere behind me, but I couldn't care enough to make sure.

Despite the enormity of the situation, I slowed my pace as the house came into view. I knew it would be foolish to rush inside and face Katherine in my current state of mind. As much as I hated to admit it, I had to be careful with her; she had over 200 years on me. One wrong move would mean the end.

Stefan finally caught up. "Damon, what..? Why did you rush here like your life depended on it? What's happening? Who was on the phone?"

I was thankful he was tired from the run; his voice wasn't loud enough to be heard from the house.

"Elena's in danger. Katherine's come home. Elena just told me." I'd meant to give him a brief explanation; it was only once I'd finished I realised I'd answered all his questions respectively. I hoped he didn't notice that. After all, I promised history wouldn't repeat itself; too bad the promise was void before I made it.

History had begun to repeat itself long before any of us noticed; and now there was nothing we could do except pray that this time round it had a better ending. An impossible hope though; someone always gets hurt.

"Katherine's back?" He didn't have any one emotion in his features; I knew how he felt. His eyes shot between the house and me as if to say; 'what are we stood here for?'

I sighed. He was blinded by his love for her; he would do anything for her without one thought of what the cost would be to him. Not even realising that her love for him meant any casualties he may sustain would be cost to her too. I couldn't be bothered to explain this to him though, so I gave him the short version.

"We can't just go barging in there," I told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he was stupid for not understanding...which he was. "This is Katherine we're talking about, and as much as it pains me to admit it, we have to be careful."

"'This is Katherine we're talking about?'" He quoted disbelievingly, his voice rising. "This is Elena we're talking about." He said imploringly.

There it was; confirmation that she was his entire world – a fool's mistake to make. If he lost her...he would have nothing. And dear old big brother, now – if not a friend then at least a civil acquaintance – would be left to pick up the pieces. If he left any to find.

"She could destroy both of us in a second, Stefan," I told him sternly. "Then who would save Elena?" I tried not to show how much the thought scared me. _We're wasting time._

"You need to get Elena out," I said, turning towards him. "Leave Katherine to me. I have the best chance out of the both of us." I wasn't trying to play the hero, it was the truth.

I wanted him to tell Elena that I love her, and that I'm sorry – in case I couldn't tell her myself after this – but alerting Stefan to the last hours' goings on wouldn't be entirely helpful at the moment. I needed him to have a clear head, or as clear a head as he could have under the circumstances.

"She's most likely in her room," I wasn't particularly speaking to him anymore, more just thinking aloud. "She didn't sound as if Katherine knew she was there, just scared in case she found out she was. Which means Katherine must have arrived after I left..." _Damn._ "I went to see Jeremy," I told him in an offside, trying to make it seem as if I being there had _not_ been a big deal.

"Why did she call _you_?" His voice wasn't accusing more...curious; and that was worse. I didn't know how to reply without giving us away; I had to think of something, quickly.

"She's smart," I said, trying to keep my face composed. "She knew if she called you, you wouldn't stop for help. She knew you'd go in there, try to protect her, and get Katherine at the same time. She knows you're already weaker than Katherine even if she wasn't a hell of a lot older than you. She didn't want to risk you."

I saw that he knew I was right, and I also saw that he didn't like it. "Me on the other hand," I continued, "she doesn't love." It hurt to say it aloud, especially to Stefan. I moved on quickly. "She knew I'd have a better chance at surviving Katherine, and that you could get her and everyone else out why I distracted her. And I have _plenty_ to say to do that." My teeth ground together at the thought.

"Let's go," I said, moving forward with the stalk of a fully focused hunter.

"Wait," Stefan said from behind me, much to my annoyance.

"What?" I asked, probably more harshly than I'd meant to.

"Let _me_ deal with Katherine," he ventured. "We don't need to start a fight with her, Damon. Like you said; we won't win. You're..._distraction_, will only turn into an argument, then a fight and then... With Katherine back, Elena needs protection. You can give her that better than I can," he said, hurt in his voice. "Please, Damon? Take care of Elena," he told me before slipping beyond my reach, headed for the house.

It took me a few seconds to catch up. His plan made sense too; but since he was already gone I guessed that was the one we were going with.

I followed after him, taking the detour to Elena's bedroom window. I just hoped my instinct was right as I jumped up onto the ledge.


	4. Escape

_Thank you for all the reviews, I'm a happy girl, but please don't stop now. _

_The chapter's called 'escape.' It shows how many times I've seen _Finding Nemo _by the fact that, in my head, I spell it like es-cap-ay._

_Elena's POV_

* * *

I hadn't dared to so much as breathe as Katherine ascended the stairs. She knew Jenna was up here, but not me. Quietly as I could, I slid backwards and laid down on my stomach. The gap under my bed was small and I just managed to squeeze under it, pulling the blanket down to hide me just as she poked her head in the room.

She mustn't have heard me, as, seemingly satisfied, she closed the door behind her and descended the stairs again. I didn't sigh in relief, I didn't move from my place of hiding, I just waited and prayed someone would come soon. Hopefully whichever brother came wouldn't be alone. It would be foolish to try and save me and face Katherine at the same time.

I hoped I'd made the right choice in calling Damon. I dismissed my earlier reasons for calling him and replaced them with rationalities. Stefan would come in blindly, not caring what happened to him, only caring about me. Damon on the other hand was, thankfully, a little more selfish, and a little less in love with me. He would be able to plan.

I slowly turned my head to the window, guessing that would be where Stefan would enter. I hated to put Damon in danger; I had no right to ask anything of him, but it had been him I had intended to face Katherine. He was stronger than Stefan; if things got out of hand, he'd have a better chance. I closed my eyes and waited patiently for Stefan to come save me.

My eyes flew open as I heard someone land on the window ledge. But in the moonlight I saw, not the brown hair, and slighter frame of Stefan, but the dark hair and built frame of Damon.

He opened the window quietly and stepped, noiselessly, onto the floor. Downstairs I heard the door open. _They're doing it wrong,_ I thought, now filled with worry for what could happen to Stefan downstairs.

"Elena?" Damon whispered, his voice no louder than a breath.

I slid out from under the bed and he stooped down to help me up, his touch burning my skin. _I don't have time for this now._

"We have to get out of here," I said, letting some of my terror show.

"Duh?" He drawled, rolling his eyes. Only now was I glad it was Damon here with me; he didn't take everything so seriously. I was still enormously aware of the danger, but I wasn't as scared anymore.

I took the hand he had extended towards me, allowing myself to enjoy the feel of it in my own. He led me over to the window before he climbed out onto the ledge, I joined him, then gripping my waist tightly, he jumped down to the ground. He landed without a sound, I didn't even feel anything. He swung me up into his arms and started to run with me cradled against his chest.

"Wait!" I said loudly, but we were some distance from the house now. "Jenna's still in there, maybe Jeremy too."

He sighed in frustration and put me down. He took my face between his hands. "Keep running, _that way_," he said, jerking his head. He bent and kissed me swiftly on the lips. "Don't get yourself killed," he pleaded before running back towards the house.

I watched him out of site as my hand subconsciously came up to my face, my fingertips brushing my lips.

_

* * *

_

Damon's POV

* * *

Jenna and Jeremy. I was leaving her to go get Jenna and Jeremy, if he was even there. Surely if they _were_ there they'd be dead by now, not knowing to hide like Elena. Although Katherine would have had to be invited in, which means one of them must have done it. Katherine won't blow her cover just for a meaningless kill; or at least I hope she won't – for Elena's sake.

I entered through Elena's window, simply for the ease of it already being open. If I remembered correctly, their rooms were linked by the bathroom. I opened the door quietly and flicked on the light.

_Perfect_. A vile covered in the residue of the blood it had contained lay on the counter top along with an empty bottle of pills. I really hoped I was wrong. I wasn't in the mood to help Stefan try to raise another vampire, especially one that didn't like us.

I entered into Jeremy's room to find him laid on the bed. I couldn't see any signs of movement. I walked up to him and checked for a pulse. Nothing.

_Just what Elena needs_, I thought scathingly, _a vampire brother to go with her vampire boyfriend and the vampire boyfriend's brother who's considering stealing her away from said boyfriend. Like this isn't a big enough mess already. Thanks a lot Jeremy._ _It won't bring Vicki and Anna back_, I wanted to scream.

There was no point saving him, he was already dead. I'd have to tell Elena he wasn't here; she shouldn't have to deal with this now.

_Urgh, when did I become 'Mr Sensitive?'_

I moved on, heading for Jenna's room. She was asleep. I nudged her awake and got a hand ready to cover her mouth in case she started screaming. On the contrary, though, she thought she was dreaming.

"Mr Salvatore," she whispered seductively. _Damn my good looks._ "You normally where less clothes than this..."

She'd taken the necklace off, the one that Elena had given her which contained vervain. I fixed my eyes with hers.

"We have to leave the house. You're in danger. You're not dreaming, but you won't be embarrassed," I added reluctantly. "You're not going to make any noise until we're away from the house."

She followed me as we went back to Elena's room. I repeated what I had done with her, though maybe not holding Jenna quite as close. We soon reached Elena; she hadn't moved far.

"I told you to run! I hoped under the circumstances you might listen to me for a change!" I put Jenna down as she retorted.

"I couldn't go, I had to be close in case-"

"Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhh!"


	5. Reunion

_I know it's pretty pointless to have the three sentences that follow on in a new chapter but I really wanted a cliff hanger ending._

_Some of the idea's in this are from the season 2 preview (which I do not own)._

_Also note that Stefan's POV is basically a flashback to what was happening with him whilst Damon was rescuing Elena – just in case anyone gets confused._

_Damon's POV_

* * *

_Stefan._ My eyes met Elena's. We both shared the same look of dread.

"Go!" She screamed.

There was no time for goodbyes this time. I was running before she'd even finished.

_

* * *

_

Stefan's POV

* * *

Damon entered the house before me. He'd better be quiet, or I'd better be loud to compensate. I opened the door loud enough so that they could probably hear me upstairs. In the kitchen I heard the unmistakeable sound of a body slumping to the floor.

I walked towards the kitchen as Katherine came into view.

"Stefan, hey," she said, trying to be Elena. Behind her I could see blood on the surfaces and floor. She was stood in front of it, but I don't know why, for a second, she thought I wouldn't see it...or smell it.

"Hello, _Katherine_," I replied.

"What gave me away?" She asked dropping the act. "Oh," she said, taking in the amount of blood that was spread over the kitchen. "I'm not usually this messy, but dear old John here just wouldn't stop squirming."

"Is he..?"

"Dead?" She finished. "Of course." How could she act so innocent? I'd known Damon care more about the kill and _that_ was saying something. "Something wrong, Stefan?" She asked, glancing behind me.

"Just surprised, is all," I told her, trying not to listen for the sounds of the people upstairs. "I didn't think you'd show your face again; not here at least. My brother spent 145 years waiting to save you, waiting to be with you again, only to find out you weren't in the tomb and that you don't give a _damn_ about him."

A small shadow of guilt crossed her features, but she didn't let it last more than a second, switching off her guilt like only she and Damon could. Or the old Damon could anyway. He was getting better lately. I think he was finally ready to start taking responsibility for his actions.

"Damon's irrelevant," she said, sauntering over to me. "You know I came back for you," she said seductively, trailing her fingers up and down my arm. "Damon was fun," she said offhandedly, "but you were the one I really wanted. The one I had to _try_ to get."

"Didn't really stick around to collect your prize did you?" I asked stepping away from her.

"Stefan," she said, pretending to take offence; I wondered for a second if she'd ever been straight with anyone in her entire life, I thought not. She'd closed the distance again. It seemed for every step I took away from her she took two forwards.

"Katherine, stop!" I told her, gripping her shoulders firmly and holding her at arms' length.

She was persistent. She easily squirmed out of my grip and pushed me back into the wall; pinning my wrists to my side. She leant into me so her chest was pressed against mine, her lips at my ear.

"Stop fighting me, Stefan," she whispered, sending shivers up my spine for all the wrong reasons. "I know you want me; I'm exactly like _her_, only _much_ more fun."

"You're nothing like, Elena," I spat at her through clenched teeth. "But I on the other hand," I said, pushing her roughly away from me, "do have some similarities with my brother. So if you came back here with some _deluded_ vision of playing with the both of us like you used too, you can forget it. It's not 1864 anymore, Katherine. Things are a lot different now."

"Different how?" She asked in a bored tone.

"Well for starters instead of the Salvatore brothers being _in love with you_, they've both seen what a fraud you really are, and are currently _revelling_ in the act of _hating_ you!"

She didn't like that. Finally letting her act drop, her eyes darkened and she screamed furiously. Spinning round her hand grabbed the bloody knife she must have used on John.

I didn't even have time to react as she turned back towards me and plunged it into my chest.

"Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhh!" I screamed loudly as she twisted the blade, driving it still deeper into me.

_

* * *

_

Elena's POV

* * *

Stefan's scream kept echoing inside my mind like it had been put on a constant loop just to torture me. Any thoughts about Damon had been forgotten; they seemed pretty silly now. Nothing could ever happen with him; I wouldn't hurt Stefan like that.

_If he was still around to hurt..._ No! I couldn't think like that. Stefan would be fine. He had to be.

"Elena? What's going on?" Jenna asked, still sleepy, from beside me.

I'd pretty much forgotten about her if I was honest. She shouldn't stay here. I needed somewhere safe.

"Jenna, you have to go to Bonnie's house, okay?" I told her, gripping the tops of her arms, forcing her to pay attention. "You can't invite _anyone_ in, got that? Tell her not to invite anyone in, _especially_ me. She'll understand. You have to go. I love you. Run!"

She reluctantly started to move in the direction of Bonnie's house, looking back at me with anxious eyes. I watched her go, feeling a tiny portion of the tension I was feeling leave my body. Maybe more would go if Jeremy had been at home and was running with her right now, but I didn't know where he was; I just hoped he didn't choose now to come home.

_It would all go if I knew Stefan was okay, or _going_ to be okay at least,_ I thought, my heart pulling me towards home.

"I can't go back," I said aloud, "Damon would kill me." _If Katherine didn't beat him to it...if Katherine hadn't already..._ No. Damon had to be okay. If Damon was gone, with Stefan injured and possibly...Damon was my last hope to solve _this_!

I wouldn't cry. Crying would not be helpful in any way.

"I can't just stand around here waiting for either of them to come back!" I screamed to no one in particular. "Screw it!" I said as I began running back to the house.

_If I'm gonna die anyway I might as well see if I had any reason to stick around..._


	6. Injury

_I really have absolutely no idea where this is going, and when it's gonna get there. I'm just writing it as it comes and hoping that you enjoy what I come up with. _

_I do promise to have more Delena moments soon; if not in this chapter, then definitely the next._

_I'm going to ignore the accelerated healing process, you'll see why, or if not ignore it then just change it slightly, taking ideas from the books._

_And, finally, you can't really see the knife Katherine stabs John with so just go with me..._

_Elena's POV_

* * *

I somehow managed to make the walk to the house, despite my legs feeling like jelly. I kept expecting them to give out with every step I took, to collapse as the nights events finally crashed down around me.

Damon had left the door open in his haste; that was good. If they were both...at least Katherine might not notice me straight away. Although, really, what reason did I have for running if they _were_ both...

I headed slowly and cautiously towards the kitchen, for thinking back, that seemed to be where the screams had come from. My need to know if they were safe was the only thing pulling me forward, my gut screaming in terror for me to turn around and run the other way. My heart was winning the battle, but only just.

The first thing I noticed was the blood. There was so much. It covered the surfaces, the floor, the cupboards...

"Oh no," I mouthed soundlessly as I saw a pair of mans legs behind the island. I walked up the opposite side and leaned over, coming face to face with John.

His face was frozen around his last scream of pain, his skin a ghastly shade of off-white. I didn't need to let my eyes drift to the blood pooled around him, seeping from the wound in his stomach, his missing fingers and the huge rip in his throat to know he was dead. I drew in a ragged breath, trying not to throw up, grateful to the counter for the support it offered.

"Elena?" Came Damon's broken whisper from behind me. I spun on the spot; my eye's coming to rest on two more bodies. Now my knees gave out.

I crashed to the floor, probably bruising myself; I didn't care. I didn't have the capacity to care anymore. I just knelt there, feeling my world slowly spin into turmoil all around me.

Damon was sat against the wall of the dining room, his legs stretched out in front of him, Stefan cradled in his lap; a large bloody wound in his chest, near his heart. The expression on Damon's face was likely similar to my own. Some feet away from them, Katherine was laid on her back, the blade of a blood encrusted knife protruding from her heart.

Seeing her lifeless form freed some of the fear inside of me, enough for me to think again. She'd only stabbed Stefan, he'd be fine, he just needed to recover.

I crawled over to Damon's side, stretching out my hand and caressing Stefan's cheek.

"Is he..? Will he be..?" My voice was quiet, and hoarse, like I hadn't used it in a while.

"He just needs to rest; blood would help. He'll probably have some at the boarding house. I should probably take him, but..."

"So you..?"

"Yeah," he said, as if my asking finally let it sink in. "She had the knife in Stefan, he was basically unconscious...she was just continuing to do as much damage as possible. Wonder what he said to piss her off so much?" He asked, but he lacked his normal smirk.

"I lost it," he admitted. "I don't think she'd been expecting to see me. I grabbed the knife out of Stefan and... It was pretty lucky that the handle was wood. Although, now I think about it, it probably wasn't the best idea; I cut my hand," he finished, holding it up to reveal a deep cut running across his palm.

Despite everything I still managed to smile at him. The way he presented his hand was like a little child with a boo-boo.

"Shouldn't that have healed?" I asked, trying to be a little more serious.

"I need to boost my energy stores, I used quite a lot tonight. Running here faster than ever before, _twice_, among other things," he half-laughed. "That's two vampires that need feeding. Think you're okay to drive to the boarding house?"

"Yeah, sure. Do you need a hand with-?"

"I got him," he said, standing up and securing Stefan's arm round his shoulders.

"What about..?" I indicated the form of Katherine.

"I'll come back later and... Come on, we'd better hurry."

"Right."

I grabbed the car keys and headed to the car. Damon laid Stefan down across the back seat and then slid into the passenger seat, turning so he could watch the both of us. It took me a couple of attempts due to my hands deciding to shake, but I finally got the car started. I drove a little faster than normal to the boarding house, but I could sense Damon's impatience that I wasn't going faster still.

"I'll put him in his room. He should have some blood in the refrigerator, if not then he'll have to go human, something old so it won't taste as nice. Don't want to go through that again."

"Do you want some too?" I asked; amazed at how calm I was being about this particular task.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," I told him, heading to the kitchen.

I was glad when I found plastic bottles labelled 'Bambi' and 'Bugs' – probably Damon's doing so he didn't mistake Stefan's supply for the 'good stuff' – along with those without a label. I wasn't sure I'd have been able to tell them apart otherwise. I grabbed a few of each, not knowing how much they would both need to recover fully.

I tried to think of something else as I climbed the stairs all the way to Stefan's room, but now that I knew he was going to be fine, thoughts of Damon plagued my mind. I had absolutely _no_ idea how I felt about the kiss; _both_ of them. It had been enjoyable, but did that mean that it meant anything. Then I remembered the guilt I experienced afterwards. It had meant something alright.

Damon was leaning against the door when I walked in. I handed him the bottles.

"Thanks," he said. "So," he took a swig, "do you feel like feeding him or do I have to, because he's not exactly up to doing it himself."

"He's still out?" I asked, walking across the room and crouching down by the side of the bed.

"Yup. Well, I'd best go deal with... I'll be in my room later if you need me," he offered, before he turned to leave.

"Wait. Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"

"It's not called a _boarding house_ for nothing, Elena." I couldn't stop the smile that lit up my features.

"Thanks," I said. He'd left the room, but I knew he'd still hear me.

Stefan started to show life after I'd gradually trickled the contents of the first bottle into his mouth, and by the end of the second he was close to feeding himself. He downed the third in one.

I lifted the edges of his shirt where he had been stabbed, the wound was already starting to heal, soon there wouldn't even be a scar.

"I'm, sorry," he whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I assured him. "Let's just forget about tonight, okay?"

"Whatever you want." He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, letting his hand rest against my cheek. I leant down and kissed his lips, savouring the way his softly brushed against my own. The majority of me enjoyed his kiss, knowing it was perfect for this moment; but as it continued, the small part of me screaming for the passion that I'd felt in Damon's kiss grew louder, till I broke off, feigning tiredness. Okay, so I was tired, but I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"I'm gonna go call Bonnie, let her know everything's okay now," I said. "I sent Jenna there," I explained.

"Will you stay here tonight?"

"In one of the many bedrooms," I told him, "you need your rest," I said, laying a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight. And, thank you, for everything."

I saw him smile as I closed the door behind me. He would be asleep soon enough.

I wandered through the halls, taking my phone out my pocket and dialling Bonnie's number. She picked up after the second ring.

"Elena!"

"Yeah, Bonnie, it's me. We're all okay. Stefan was injured but he'll be fine. Did Jenna make it there?"

"She's here; she fell asleep on the couch. She told me that I shouldn't invite you in... Is Katherine..?"

"Yeah, she came back. Damon... Damon killed her."

"So everyone's okay..?" She asked, unsure. "Crisis over?"

"Yeah, get some sleep. I'll come get Jenna tomorrow. Thanks for letting her stay there."

"No problem. 'Night."

"'Night, Bonnie," I said before hanging up the phone.

I didn't want to be alone tonight. Stefan needed to rest though, which left... I walked towards the room Damon used, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," I heard him say. Laughing at the irony, I opened his door.

He was stretched out on the bed, hands behind his head, legs crossed; his shirt lay in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"Could I stay with you tonight? Stefan needs to rest, and I don't want to be alone..."

"Sure," he said, dropping the cocky expression he'd had on his face as my eyes focused on his abs instead of his face whilst I spoke.

I walked around to the opposite side of the bed to which he was sat on. I kicked off my shoes then climbed onto the bed. _Now what?_ I knelt there awkwardly, not really sure how to behave in this situation. Damon didn't look like he knew what to do either; he'd probably never done this before though...whatever _this _was.

He sat up slightly so his shoulders were propped against his pillow and held his left arm out awkwardly. I stretched out beside him and hesitantly laid my head against his bare chest. It was strange not hearing his heartbeat. I sensed his hand hovering above my head before he finally decided to lower it and stroke my hair soothingly.

Whatever he did it worked. I slept more soundly that night than I could remember doing in a long time.


	7. Repercussions

_I'm surprised I've been updating almost daily, but so far this has been pouring out of me. Let's both hope that it doesn't stop._

_The reason it did stop this time is because my internet decided to die on me, I actually had this written yesterday._

_You know reviews are the best e-mails to receive, so please; review._

_Elena's POV_

* * *

I awoke the next morning with his arms wrapped around me. It was very comfortable. I stretched and rolled over, kissing him good morning like I always did – it was the most natural thing in the world. I pulled away and smiled at him before diving back in and deepening the kiss. That's when I realised just _who_ I was locking lips with.

"Oh," I whispered in shock, pulling my lips from Damon's and wriggling out of his embrace. I jumped up off the bed and backed up against the wall, wiping my mouth with the back of my shaking hand.

I could see he was hurt, he didn't even switch it off and act otherwise. I didn't exactly blame him. It was pretty cruel of me now I think back over my actions.

"I'm sorry," I said, moving forwards and climbing back on the bed. "I never got around to thanking you for yesterday, did I?" I asked, putting my guilt behind me and crawling back over to him.

"Don't mention it," he muttered, sitting up against the headboard.

"Fine," I told him, "I'll just have to thank you some other way."

I leant forward and locked my lips with his, enjoying the feel of his tongue running the length of my bottom lip before I granted him access, letting his tongue join with mine in a movement that was perhaps becoming too familiar to them. His arms wrapped around my waist, moulding me against his chest. I threw my leg over his own so I was sat on the top of his upper thighs; my calves resting either side. My hands wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling me still closer to him and allowing me to press my lips ever more urgently against his.

I shifted my legs so that they rested beside his waist and he pushed me backwards into the covers. I wrapped my legs round his hips so he was encased tightly between my thighs. He broke off and started to kiss down the length of my jaw, all the way down my neck, across my collar bone and then back up the other side until he once again claimed my mouth.

He let me breathe eventually; rolling off of me so he was laid on his back. I didn't like the separation though so climbed back on top of him, collapsing against his chest. He held me like he had last night. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but after a while my stomach started to growl.

"Breakfast?" He asked softly.

"Yum, blood," I replied.

He laughed. "We do have normal food here. You've been staying over more often lately...Stefan got some supplies in."

"Stefan," I whispered as if only remembering his existence. "I should go check on him."

His arms released me and I pushed myself up off his chest, crawling to the side of the bed and standing up. I was almost to the door when he stopped me.

"Wait," he sounded reluctant. "I need to talk to you."

I turned to face him but somehow ended up looking at the floor. "Look, Damon, I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what that was but... I still love Stefan. I'm sorry."

"I know," he sighed. "It's something else." I sat down on the edge of the bed. He shuffled over so he was facing me. "Last night," he began, struggling slightly. "When you asked me to go back for Jenna and Jeremy, and I only came back with Jenna... He was there."

"What?" I asked, a slight frown forming. "You left him in a house with Katherine!" I realised shoving his chest away and standing up. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. "Let me go," I warned, trying to pull my arm from his grip, but he only tightened it.

"Please," he pleaded, "let me explain. _Please_?" I stopped struggling, but inside I was still seething, and my breathing was heavy.

"Last night, in your bathroom, there was a vile on the counter. There'd been blood in it." He paused. "There was also an empty bottle of pills." He stopped letting me absorb what my brain was desperately trying to fight. "I went to talk to him last night, before you got home, that's who I'd been to see. I offered to compel him again, make him forget about Anna."

"Why would he need to forget about Anna?"

"Your uncle – father – drove a stake through her heart. I saw him. Jeremy had been with her when she was taken, he guessed what had happened," he explained. "Before I left he asked me if it was easier living as a vampire; shutting out your humanity and turning off your pain instead of dealing with it." I cringed as I thought of Jeremy having these thoughts, saying those words... "I didn't know she'd given him her blood. I – stupidly – told him it was."

"You what?" Now I was angry. He didn't have time to stop me as I stood up in one fluid motion and stormed from the room...running straight into Stefan.

"Elena what..?" He instinctively wrapped his arms around me, hugging me to him. I tried my hardest not to cry, but I could still feel the lump in my throat. I had to get out of there; I didn't want Damon to see me.

"Can you please take me home?" I managed to ask, my voice muffled against his throat.

"Of course."

I held onto him tightly, hiding my face in his shoulder as he guided us towards the staircase. He didn't ask what was wrong until the boarding house had long disappeared. I didn't answer. I wasn't sure how to so I sat and gazed out the window whilst he drove, still trying not to cry why he patiently waited for my answer. He didn't mention the fact that I'd come out of Damon's room, and I was thankful.

"Jeremy is...transitioning," I finally whispered, turning to face him.

It's a tribute to his senses that he managed to keep the car going straight as his head whipped round in shock.

"Did Damon do this?" He asked in outrage.

"No. It was Anna; she gave him some of her blood before... He took some pills," I told him. "I don't know if I can deal with this, Stefan," my voice was quieter than a whisper.

"It'll be fine," he said, reaching over and taking my hand. "We'll help him, I promise you," he assured me. "You seemed angry...before. What happened?"

I wasn't about to tell him the whole nights events but I figured the last few minutes would be safe. "I went to thank Damon for last night," I told him. "He told me that he went to see Jeremy yesterday; that they'd talked about the _advantages_ of becoming a vampire. He didn't know Jeremy had Anna's blood, but he probably still had a pretty huge role in solidifying his decision to turn," I said, clenching my teeth. "What if he doesn't listen?" I asked Stefan a little while later. "He still hates me for lying to him, why would he listen to you and Damon? What if he gets out of control like Vicki did? What if you have to..?" I couldn't say the words aloud, he understood anyway.

"I only killed Vicki to stop her killing you," he explained. "I could never do that to Jeremy. If he needs to be controlled then we'll do it the same way that you did me. Lock him up, control his diet, give him vervain if it's necessary; but I would never kill him. Besides," he said on a different note. "This is all hypothetical, he could be absolutely fine."

"I guess we'll find out," I said in grim anticipation and Stefan pulled to a stop outside the house.


	8. Discovery

_Sorry for not updating as quickly as I normally do but I was pushing myself to finish chapter 9 of my _Harry Potter _fic, and plough through the writer's block I suffered whilst writing it._

_158 people read the last chapter and only three people reviewed, so thank you to _kaelyn16, zeppoJane _and_ Drama (_who regularly reviews_)_. Learn from their example people! _(_This does not apply to other reviewers_)_._

_Hope you enjoy._

_Damon's POV_

* * *

"You what?" She asked angrily before standing up so quickly that I didn't have time to grab her. She stormed from the room, running straight into Stefan. I'd worry about that later. _That_ being the fact that Stefan knows Elena was in my room for a period of time and it ended in her being angry, which he'd no doubt blame on me, although I guess he should in this case.

I _did_ tell Jeremy it was easier, but I _never_ would have had I known he was thinking about turning. I'd never let that happen to Elena if I could do anything to prevent it. She has enough to deal with from me and Stefan without adding her brother to the mix.

_Me and Stefan_. I sighed. She said she loved him and I know she meant it. So why the hell, not ten minutes ago, was she rolling around on the bed with me. I prayed this emotional roller coaster would end soon, it hadn't even been a day; shit, it had barely been twelve hours. Was she falling for me? Or was I just a bit of fun?

I tried to tell myself that the outcome didn't matter, that I'd be happy no matter what her decision. But that was a lie. Even before my lips touched hers that first time I knew I was in love with her. I knew because, never in my 166 years of life, had I ever felt this way about anyone before; _especially not_ Katherine.

I watched from the window as they drove away, hating to see her go whilst she was mad at me; or just hating her being mad at me. It's not like I'll never see her again. She's only going home, not to some faraway place where I'll never be able to find her; although I'd have her lifetime to try. Not that that meant anything would necessarily happen once I did find her.

Her feelings towards me were changing. I could sense it, and so could she. The question remained the same though; did it change anything? Would she really ever leave Stefan for the chance to be with me? Especially as she knows me, knows that my current behaviour isn't like me, knows there's a good chance that it might change; knows that I might hurt her.

_Is that what's stopping her?_ I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, my hand clenching into a fist and pulling on the root.

"Argh," I screamed, releasing my grip on my hair and grabbing the first thing that I could lay my hand on, which happened to be the lamp from my bedside table. It smashed into tiny pieces as it made contact with the wall, landing with the unmistakable sound of tinkling glass on the hard floor.

_Enough standing around,_ I thought; putting on my shoes and grabbing a shirt on the way out of my room. _I have to know what she feels. So does Stefan. It can't go on like this anymore. Love triangles don't work; 1864 is a testament to that. _

I didn't bother grabbing my car keys on the way out the door. Running would be much faster with the mood I was in.

_

* * *

_

Elena's POV

* * *

I didn't think I could get out the car; and I probably wouldn't have had it not been for Stefan being beside me whispering constant reassurances. I didn't want to go into the house, so I linked my fingers with his, knowing his grip was strong enough to keep me at his side if I started to pull away. But then I worried that he'd let me pull away, and he would deal with this for me; but I didn't want that. _Damon wouldn't let me pull away._

I regretted thinking about Damon the moment the thought crossed my mind. I was still mad at him. Or at least I was trying to be, but a small voice in my head was stubbornly reminding me that he hadn't actually done anything. _It's not like he turned Jeremy himself,_ it said. _Yeah, but he probably still had a pretty good hand in it,_ I retaliated.

"Do you know where he'll be?" Stefan asked, opening the door for me.

"Erm..." I tried to focus on him, emptying my mind of all thoughts of Damon. "Probably in his room."

"Stay behind me," he warned, pulling me half behind him as we ascended the stairs.

"Wait," I said, grabbing his shoulder and turning him half-way towards me. "Shouldn't we have some blood or something?"

"He'll be okay for a while," he told me, "we can take him back to the boarding house; we're better equipped to deal with him there.

I nodded as we made our way up the last of the steps; heading towards Jeremy's door. I hung back behind Stefan as he slowly turned the doorknob.

The room was dark, and I had to wait for my eyes to adjust. _Jeremy must have pulled the blinds closed,_ I thought, as I remembered how Vicki had complained about it being bright. I sensed Stefan move from beside me towards the far corner of the room. I pushed past him, my eyes now able to pick up the shapes in the room; like the shape of Jeremy, huddled in the corner next to his bed. I avoided Stefan's hand when he reached out to pull me back, collapsing on my knees in front of Jeremy and pulling him against me in a crushing hug.

"Elena," he murmured into my hair. I pulled back, holding his face between my hands, trying not to flinch when his eyes kept flashing to my wrist. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I assured him, hugging him tightly again. "It's all gonna be okay." It was only when I sniffed that I realised I was crying. I pulled back and wiped away the tears with the back of my hand. "Stefan's gonna help you, okay? We're gonna get through this," I told him.

"What about Damon?" Jeremy asked, much to my disappointment. They must have bonded during their 'talk.'

"I'll help too," I heard from the doorway. I whipped my head round and my eyes met his. I was overwhelmed by the sincerity I saw there, the desperate need to prove himself...worthy? My anger seemed to melt and evaporate away looking into those eyes.

"Thank you," I told him, still not looking away.

"Come on," Stefan said, moving to obscure my line of vision. When I could focus again I helped him to pull Jeremy up. Damon moved forward and took my place, the both of them taking his weight as they exited the room. I grabbed Jeremy's sunglasses then followed after them.

I put them on him then they put Jeremy in the backseat of the car, Damon sliding in beside him. Stefan drove and I got in the passenger seat. I spent the journey turned in my seat. Stefan probably thought I was watching Jeremy, and that had been my intention, but I couldn't seem to pull my eyes away from the icy-blue of Damon's gaze.

"There's blood in the fridge," Stefan said once we were at the boarding house. "I'll show you to the kitchen," he told Jeremy, pulling him along with him. I didn't miss the glance he threw back towards me and Damon as we wandered slowly behind them.

"Am I forgiven?" Damon asked me. "I _am_ sorry about this. I never would have told him those things if I'd know he was planning to turn."

"I know," I admitted. "I was just upset, and worried; I needed someone to blame. Sorry it was you."

"It's okay," he said, reaching out his hand to caress my cheek, just as Stefan reappeared.

We might have pulled it off as nothing, had I not jumped back from Damon and turned in shock to face him, guilt written across my face. And he'd already picked up little things today; because something told me, back at the house, that he'd moved on purpose.

So I wasn't surprised when he said; "we need to talk."

What did surprise me though, was Damon stepping closer and tucking a strand of hair, delicately, behind my ear; letting his fingers trail through right down to the tips. "Yeah," he agreed. "We do."

* * *

_So I decided to bring up the whole 'love triangle' thing in the next chapter, so review and let me know what you guys think should maybe happen._


	9. Conflict

_I know I kept you guys in suspense but I was trying to get a head start on my _Harry Potter_ fic. _

_Thanks to the 33 people who favourite this and the 50 people who have it on alert; but why are you not reviewing? Pretty please?_

_Elena's POV_

* * *

It took me a little longer than it should have to realise that I should probably move away from Damon. But I'd never known him be so gentle and sweet and...human. I wanted him to keep stroking my hair; it relaxed me and my heartbeat had been pretty fast since Stefan walked in on us. Somewhat reluctantly, I moved to stand an equal distance from the both of them.

"What do you mean 'we do,' Damon?" Stefan asked in a threatening tone.

"I mean, that Isobel was right; I'm in love with her," he told Stefan, though his eyes moved to me for the second part.

"No," he said in disbelief. "_No!_" He yelled, moving towards Damon. Instinct took over, and although he was perfectly capable of defending himself, I stepped protectively in front of him. "_You-are-not-doing-this-to-me._" It could have been directed at either of us, but I could tell by the way Stefan looked at me then at a point above my head that it was meant for both of us.

"Yes, I am," Damon said whilst reaching forwards and pulling me back against him; his arms wrapping around my waist.

"Damon; don't," I pleaded, half-turning towards him, whilst trying to free myself from his grip. I needn't have tried. He all but pushed me away from him as I changed my alliance yet again. I hated doing this to him; I didn't look up to see the disappointment on his face.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he murmured. "Pretend that you care and then run back to _him_ as soon as he's there."

"Damon, I-"

"What do you mean by care?" Stefan asked, interrupting my attempt at a half-decent excuse.

"Well, I kissed her yesterday," he told him – though surprisingly he didn't seem smug – causing Stefan to lurch forward again; I held my place in between them; "and she kissed me back. Then when she told me she didn't want to be alone last night, I held her whilst she slept."

"Sure," Stefan sneered, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "You 'held' her."

"He did," I said quietly. "He could have tried something but he didn't."

"It's true?" He asked, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes.

I looked at the floor whilst I answered; ashamed of how I treated him. "Yes." I sighed; "I kissed him good morning too," I admitted. "I'm so sorry, Stefan," I said as he digested that.

And then he snapped. "What happened to 'I love _you_, Stefan,'" he screamed. I backed into Damon, not minding how his hands rested on the tops of my arms, ready to pull me out of the way in a moment's notice. "'You have nothing to worry about!' Yeah right! Apparently I have plenty to worry about!"

"That was true when I said it," I muttered lamely, but he'd already turned his attention to Damon.

"Why am I even surprised?" He said. "'Don't worry.' 'We're just friends.' Where's your cotton candy, Damon? Because you're certainly stealing my girl."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Wait," I said turning to Damon as realisation hit. "Is this what you meant when you said Stefan had mentioned something to you?"

"Yesterday and the night before," he informed me. "He told me that he knew we'd 'bonded' – as friends – and that, and I quote, 'history will not be repeating itself where Elena's concerned...' Un-quote."

"What?" I asked in shock, turning back towards Stefan. "You know what? Thank you. That's very _trusting_ of you, Stefan. Wait," I paused. "That was the night Isobel left, right? You took what she said that seriously? She was only doing it to get at you. Probably in the hopes of us breaking up because she told me she doesn't want this for me."

"Yeah, well it turned out to be true, didn't it?" He reminded me.

"It-wasn't-then," I said, anger starting to form towards him. "And you still didn't trust me."

"It's Damon I don't trust!"

"It takes two to tango, Stefan! So what if Damon tried something? You still didn't trust me to not respond!"

"You did respond!" He screamed.

"And I felt guilty as hell!" I yelled back. "And ashamed, and regretful."

He seemed to ignore that and instead asked; "is that why you called him last night?"

"No! I knew you'd come straight for me – _without help_. I knew you'd get hurt, and that Damon wouldn't think to follow you. So I called him, knowing that you would follow; although I'd intended Damon to distract Katherine, not you. She could have _killed_ you," I told him, letting the annoyance from that join my current anger.

"Told you so," Damon murmured from behind me. I knew he'd figure something like that.

Stefan stopped screaming for a moment and stopped to think things through, his breathing heavy. "Do you love him?" He asked uncertainly, meeting my gaze.

"I-" I turned round and looked at Damon, him refusing to look at me. I turned back. _Please don't hate me._ "Yes."

"What?" Damon quietly exclaimed from behind me.

"But I love you more," I said, still meeting Stefan's gaze.

"You sure?" He asked; he seemed to be studying me very closely.

_Why am I not saying yes? Say yes!_ I thought. _Am I really sure?_ I looked at Damon again; saw the elation in his eyes from me saying I loved him, despite what I said afterwards. Or maybe he was happy because of how long I was hesitating. He didn't seem smug though, and there was no smirk on his face; he was just genuinely happy. It was heart-warming.

I closed my eyes and turned back to Stefan, letting out a short breath. "No."

"Great. Perfect. It's 1864 all over again," he said. "At least I won that one, I guess; if you can trust Katherine to be reliable that is." I sensed Damon stiffen behind me. "She said that you were 'irrelevant,' she said that she came back for me, that you were 'fun,' but I was the one she really wanted. The one she had to 'try to get.'"

"You're lying," Damon insisted; his old feelings towards Katherine surfacing. _Just like Stefan wanted them to_, I realised. I resented him for taunting him like that, playing with Damon's feelings; it was cruel.

"Enough," I yelled, my brow furrowed. I ripped of my necklace; the one containing vervain. "Compel me to tell the truth. It's the only way to know which of you I love more," I said. "Although I know who's currently winning. You're cruel when you're jealous," I told Stefan. "You know that? I thought you were only a monster when you were on blood; I guess not."

He chose to ignore me. "I can't compel you," he said. _Sure, try to redeem yourself now. 'I'm Stefan, I'm the nice vampire, I won't compel you even when you ask me to. Or maybe I can't because I'm a pretty pathetic excuse for a vampire really.'_

"I can," Damon said. I turned to face him, not really wanting to look at Stefan right now.

"No way," he yelled at Damon. "_No_, you are not compelling her to love you."

"I swear of her life that I won't," Damon said calmly – annoying him further. Stefan must have seen the sincerity in his eyes that I could hear in his voice. I snuck a peek at him, and he seemed scared; maybe by how much Damon seemed to love me, or maybe just because we were doing to do this in the first place.

"You need to look in my eyes," he said softly, gently lifting my chin to his gaze.

"Wait," I said, looking away to make sure he had to listen. "Ask me to explain. I want to know why."

He nodded. I put my gaze back to him and my mind went strangely blank.

When awareness sunk back in I saw Stefan tear out of the room, a blur due to his speed. There was a smash and then the slam of the door...then a thud; he'd ripped it off its hinges.

"What did I say?" I asked, although I thought I already knew the answer.

He was open mouthed in shock. "Me," he breathed. It seemed like all he could say.

_

* * *

_

Damon's POV

* * *

"Wait," she told me, avoiding my gaze so I would listen to her request. "Ask me to explain. I want to know why." _I was already going to do that,_ I thought._ You think I'll be satisfied with you choosing Stefan after the fight you guys just had and not knowing why?_

She put her gaze back to mine and I saw as comprehension left her.

"You're going to tell us who you love more," I told her, "and explain your choice."

"Stefan," she said, causing my breathing to hitch, "the nice guy; or so I thought. Today he showed his true colours, showed he could be cruel to those he cared about. I thought I'd never see that Stefan again, but today he showed his ugly head; and I didn't like it. Damon's done some bad things – turning my mother, turning my brother's girlfriend, killing countless others – but I still accept him despite that. He's changed, and whether he believes it or not, I think it's permanent. I choose Damon. I love Damon more."

Her eyes focussed in and I knew she'd come back. In the back of my mind I was aware of Stefan storming out the room, the resounding crashes left in his wake showing his anger. But right now all I could think about was that she loved me more. I'd been so sure she would say Stefan, even after that fight; but she chose me. _She loved me_. My mouth hung open in shock.

"What did I say?" She asked me. She'd probably guessed and I sensed her question was merely to seek confirmation.

"Me," I breathed, my mouth dry from hanging open.

"Good," she said, the very corners of her mouth pulling up into a smile. "Have I been ignorant of this?" She asked me, her brow furrowed slightly. "Has he always had this within him – even without the blood?"

"It's always within us," I managed. "It's just buried deeper in some of us."

She gave a small nod of her head and sighed. "No smile?" She asked, examining my face.

Now I smiled. "I'm in shock, I guess. I was sure you'd choose him again," I confessed, still not accepting that she hadn't.

"I wasn't," she admitted honestly. "Especially since I haven't really stopped thinking about you since the first time you kissed me..."

"Am I allowed to do that again?" I asked, stepping forward and resting my hands lightly either side of her waist.

"You don't have to ask permission, Damon," she told me. "Yes."

I didn't think twice about lowering my mouth to hers, laying gentle caresses on her lips. That didn't seem to be what she wanted though, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, causing her body to press against mine. Our tongues got to know each other in all new ways, freed from the guilt and trepidation that had burdened them before.

I was in ecstasy, and was greatly disappointed when she pulled back for breath. I kissed my way along her jaw then down her neck whilst she caught her breath, savouring the sweet taste of her skin; surprised when all I felt was the emotional type of hunger. Her body held much more desire for me than her blood in this moment.

"I love you," she said breathlessly, and my heart swelled at those words; knowing she really meant them, and that she'd chosen freely to say them, no longer under the power of compulsion.

"You said before," I reminded her, between laying feather light kisses all over her face. "I love you too," I said; though I enjoyed the pouty look she'd got on her face when that hadn't been the first thing I said.

"What the hell?" Jeremy said in confusion, appearing in the doorway just as I was about to recapture Elena's lips. If I was honest I'd forgotten all about him.

"Jeremy, how are you feeling?" Elena asked, though she didn't relinquish her hold on me.

"Still thirsty, but I had like four bottles so I thought I should stop. I heard shouting... What happened?"

"Erm... Me and Stefan broke up," Elena told him.

"Yeah, turns out she loves me more," I added.

"So you guys are together now?" He asked, still slightly confused. I felt sorry for him; it was disorientating enough completing the transition without having to comprehend your sister's love life.

"If she'll have me," I replied.

"Of course I'll have you," she said before kissing my lips again.

"Could you guys wait till I'm not here to do that?"

"Sorry, Jer," Elena said.

"You may have to get used to it," I warned him. "It looks like I'll be keeping a close eye on you since my brothers gone...somewhere."

"Do you think we should be worried?" Elena asked nervously.

"Neh, he's probably off brooding somewhere. His foreheads like _made_ for that," I joked, although it really was pretty true. "Anyway, let's not think about him; we should be celebrating. Bourbon anyone?"

* * *

_Okay, I'm thinking maybe a couple more chapters just to wrap things up...unless you guys want more. So review! Tell me your demands. More Delena action? Let me know._


	10. Moving On

_Okay so after all the mixed reviews for the original draft of this chapter both of us were left dissatisfied. I wasn't happy so I read through it and then decided to re-write it. Not completely re-write, but definitely alter extensively._

_Also, I know I keep repeating things but I think it's essential to know both points of view; at least for this part._

_You guys gave me lots of feedback after the last chapter; I was very happy to receive so many reviews. I'm definitely going to take into account your suggestions._

_Enjoy; please review._

_Elena's POV_

* * *

_I chose Damon? _It seemed more final having him confirm it. He looked as shocked as I felt. I'd thought there was a good possibility that I'd choose him, but I'd just expected that I'd stick with Stefan. He looked happy again; it was hard to tell because of his disbelief, but it was there. I was happy too, I realised; though a part of me was off following Stefan, wondering where he was going and what he was doing...and if it would affect us.

"Good," I found myself saying, feeling the small smile on my lips. "Have I been ignorant of this?" I asked him, my eyebrows pulling together. "Has he always had this within him – even without the blood?" _Is this who I was really in love with? _I silently added.

"It's always within us," he told me. "It's just buried deeper in some of us." Meaning Stefan fought it more than everyone else.

I nodded my head and sighed. "No smile?" I asked; _he was happy...wasn't he? _But when he smiled it was obvious that he was.

"I'm in shock, I guess. I was sure you'd choose him again," he admitted.

"I wasn't," I confessed. "Especially since I haven't really stopped thinking about you since the first time you kissed me..." It felt good to finally be able to tell him that.

"Am I allowed to do that again?" he asked me, closing the distance between us and placing my hands on my waist.

"You don't have to ask permission, Damon," I told him. "Yes," I said anyway; it was sweet that he was asking permission. I just hoped he didn't do it everytime.

He didn't need telling twice. He bent his head down to mine and laid feather like kisses on my lips; so _not _what I needed. _Stefan kisses like this._ I reached my arms up around his neck and pulled my body closer to his. I felt his tongue mingle with mine and I tried to forget all about Stefan.

Too soon though I had to breathe, so I reluctantly pulled back from him. Thankfully he kept me distracted by kissing along my jaw, down my neck. My eye's half-closed in bliss as Damon's mouth pleasured my skin; I was lost in everything that was Damon; his grip, his kiss, his heat...

I surprised myself by saying; "I love you." I was breathless; panting in an effort to bring oxygen into my lungs.

"You said before," he said against my neck, before lifting his head and kissing all over my face. I realised I was pouting as he hadn't returned the sentiment. "I love you too," he told me, obviously enjoying the fact that I had actually pouted like a little kid.

"What the hell?" I turned to see Jeremy stood in the doorway. He looked confused; and I couldn't blame him.

"Jeremy, how are you feeling?" I asked him; still with my arms around Damon. I was beginning to enjoy having him there.

"Still thirsty, but I had like four bottles so I thought I should stop. I heard shouting... What happened?"

"Erm... Me and Stefan broke up," I said. That seemed accurate although. There hadn't been an official break-up of sorts but me choosing Damon and him storming out seemed clear enough.

"Yeah, turns out she loves me more," Damon told him, looking at me lovingly. His happiness was almost enough to make me forget all about Stefan..._almost_.

"So you guys are together now?" He still looked confused; poor Jeremy. He had enough to deal with right now without adding my love life to the mix.

"If she'll have me," Damon replied; sounding somewhat hopeful.

"Of course I'll have you," I said before kissing his lips again.

"Could you guys wait till I'm not here to do that?"

"Sorry, Jer," I told him.

"You may have to get used to it," Damon said. "It looks like I'll be keeping a close eye on you since my brothers gone...somewhere."

"Do you think we should be worried?" I asked. The thoughts hadn't been as present in the last few minutes but a part of me was still wondering what he was doing.

"Neh," he said, dismissing Stefan's capabilities of getting up to anything. "He's probably off brooding somewhere. His foreheads like _made_ for that," he joked, doing the eye thing. "Anyway, let's not think about him; we should be celebrating. Bourbon anyone?"

I smiled fondly, as he headed into the living room in search of his favourite drink. I saw Jeremy take one too many glances at my neck before he turned; heading back into the kitchen for more blood. Which left me alone; not good. Thought's that I hadn't really wanted to think about flooded my brain.

I felt the smile leave my face; I didn't feel the need to hold it there now Damon was no longer present. It wasn't that I wasn't happy; I was. _I just need time to adjust_, I told myself. I mean, just because I love Damon more doesn't mean I've stopped loving Stefan; or love him any less than I did before the fight.

I couldn't decide whether it was good that it had happened. Things were fine before; but it was a lie, and it was because of that that I felt relief. I didn't like to think that I'd been with that side of Stefan, as apparently he didn't need the blood to become it. It scared a little that it wasn't that far away... One fight involving me...

I think I'm glad he lost. I think Damon will be a good change for me. Maybe being with him will make things start to feel like normal again. He doesn't take everything so seriously; even last night when it was a life or death situation he managed to make me smile in the middle of it. He could help me be fun Elena again. I've missed her lately. I don't want things to go too fast though; I want to let myself move on first, so I can really let myself be with Damon when the moment comes.

I decided it was good in the end, because of one reason that I hadn't thought of till then. By choosing Damon, I wasn't continuing to string both of them along. I wasn't playing with both their hearts...like Katherine did. I chose Damon. I just wish it hadn't hurt Stefan in the process. I gazed out the window, as if hoping to see him stood there.

"Where are you?" I whispered.

"What was that?" Damon asked, walking back into the room.

"Erm...nothing; doesn't matter." I said hastily, a smile appearing at the sight of him. "What time is it?" I asked.

"After ten," he replied.

"Crap! Jenna's still at Bonnie's," I told him. "I said I'd go get her. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," he said, placing a kiss upon my cheek. "Why would I?"

"What about Jeremy?"

"Hmm," he thought. "Good point. Can't have him running away on us."

"Can't have who running away?" Jeremy asked. "Because, if you mean me, why would I? Huge house, fridge full of blood..." I tried not to flinch.

"We'll lock the door behind us," Damon decided. "Not that you'll want to go outside...or in any light – stay away from windows," he told Jeremy. "Be back soon."

He took my hand and pulled me up, leading me outside and then locking the door behind us. He walked round to the passenger side and held it open, not noticing that I'd already gotten in the driver's seat. He sighed and then reluctantly got in. I could tell he didn't enjoy not driving, but it wasn't long till we were at Bonnie's.

I saw her head appear at the window and then she was at the door a few seconds later.

"Elena..?" She said questionably. I realised I was holding Damon's hand; _this looks bad._

"It's me Bonnie," I assured her. "See?" I said, stepping over the threshold.

She sighed and then pulled me into a tight hug. "Wait," she said, pulling back. "You were just... With Damon..?"

"Yeah," I said. "I erm...fell for Damon..." I told her. "And broke up with Stefan...about an hour ago."

"How'd he take it?" She asked; half-serious, half...looking like she wanted to laugh at the situation.

"Not so good. He stormed out; we don't know where he is. He's been invited in here, Bonnie; so...be careful. I don't know what to expect of him anymore," I admitted. "You should call if he shows up."

"I can take care of myself, Elena."

"Where's Jenna?" I asked; that was the reason we'd come after all.

"She went to Alaric's," Bonnie replied. "Elena," she said; "she had a look in her eye; I think she might have gone there for a reason."

"Bonnie, what do you mean?"

"I mean, I would be prepared to have a good back story if I were you; I think she suspects something."

"Good thing I cleaned the house up," Damon said from the doorway.

To save the bother of asking Bonnie to invite him in, I instead said; "we'd better go; we left Jeremy alone."

"Jeremy?"

"Is a vampire," I sighed. "Anna turned him. Or rather she gave him some of her blood and he turned himself. Last night of all nights. Listen; thank you for letting Jenna stay here; I didn't know where else to send her last night. You were the first person I thought of."

"It's okay. We'll talk soon?" She asked as I went to stand by Damon on the porch. "It appears we have a lot to catch up on..."

"Definitely," I sighed, before turning and walking back to the car.

"What are we gonna tell Jenna?" Damon asked as I fastened my seatbelt and started the car.

"Somehow I don't think _we'll _have to tell her anything," I replied. "I hope he hasn't told her though; I'm not sure I'm ready for her to know anything yet. Not right now."

"We'll get through it; whatever happens," he told me. "I'm not going anywhere."

I smiled as I pulled away, and took deep breaths; trying in vain to prepare myself to tell Jenna that my boyfriend was a vampire...and that I'm now dating Damon. _This should be fun..._

_

* * *

_

I know, I know. The next chapter is my next task, I swear. I'll try and be quick. It's all planned I just need to write it. It'll be the last chapter by the way.


	11. Goodbye

_All I can do is apologise._

_So the whole 'next task' thing didn't really work. I think after sitting and writing for six weeks straight during the summer, I basically lost the will to write once I got back to school. I did keep trying I promise, but it's been a _slow _process. I just hope it's worth reading after this. I planned for it to take about two weeks not two months nearly! Though I must say this chapter alone is about a third of the length of the whole story._

Goodbye to You_ by _Michelle Branch_ is a really good complementary song for this chapter though I didn't think of it till after it was written._

_Also, for those of you who have watched _Masquerade_, I'd like to point out that I wrote the scene outside Alaric's house before I saw it, so that idea isn't stolen. I obviously thought it was as poetic as the writers of the show did, though I like their version slightly better._

_Thank you to everybody who's stayed with this from start to finish; as you may have guessed from the chapter title; this is the last chapter. (See the A/N at the end for more details.)_

_Elena's POV_

* * *

"So where's Alaric live exactly?" I asked. I knew I was in the right area, roughly, but beyond that I was clueless.

"Pull over," he told me.

"Damon!" I objected when he reached over and took the wheel from me when I didn't comply. Reluctantly I braked as he pulled us up next to the sidewalk. I didn't even have time to turn around and scold him before he was around my side of the car and opening the door. Sighing, I undid my seatbelt and slid over to the passenger seat. "Don't smirk," I warned.

He did anyway, but only for a second before starting the car again and pulling back into the road. "You wouldn't be able to find it," he explained. Bearing that in mind I tried to pay attention as he took a left at the next junction, taking us into a small street that ended in a dead end...

"You could have just told me the next left."

... Or so I thought. He took a right at the last house and then pulled into what I thought was the driveway until he ended up continuing past the house onto a small, single-lane road that ran behind it. The road was edged on either side by the wood. I didn't let it slip that he was right; no way would I have been able to find this place.

He eventually came to a stop at a small cottage; located within the wood, it was nestled into the trees, the wood getting denser behind it. Despite the closeness of the encroaching forest, the small clearing in which the house stood was actually quite light.

"Pretty," I sighed as we got out of the car.

"Don't move," Alaric warned, standing outside the door with his stake projector thing aimed in our direction.

"I'm not Katherine. I'm Elena," I tried to convince him. It was rather uncomfortable having a weapon pointed at you.

"I killed Katherine," Damon chimed in. "She's now lying where she's supposed to have been. I'd say rest in peace, but to be honest I'd rather she didn't. That _bitch_ deserves to rot in hell," he said forcefully to no one in particular. "Eternity doesn't seem long enough," he muttered.

"Look, if I was Katherine you'd be dead by now for being foolish enough to point that thing at me."

"She has a point. And you're still standing so... If you don't mind?" Though the look on Damon's face said that he'd better lower it even if he _did_ mind.

"Elena!" Jenna cried, running forwards and yanking me into her grip. Over her shoulder I saw Alaric stow his weapon inside the door. "Where were you?" She asked, pulling back and starting a visual assessment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jenna. Let's go inside; we can talk."

She didn't seem fully satisfied but went back inside nevertheless. Alaric urged me to follow and I did, stopping just inside the entryway; _Damon, _I thought. Alaric seemed to be debating whether to let him in or not, and just when it looked like Damon was about to say it didn't matter, Alaric surprised the both of us by saying; "come in, Damon."

Surprise etched on his face, I didn't miss the small smile that crossed his lips before his expression turned serious as he joined me inside the house. The three of us walked into the living room to where Jenna was sat waiting.

"Coffee?" Alaric asked us.

"Yes. Please," I replied. I hadn't actually had chance for breakfast this morning; coffee would have to suffice for now.

I took a seat on the small sofa opposite Jenna as Alaric headed off to the kitchen. Damon sat down beside me, sitting close so his knee touched mine. Jenna missed the action for the moment.

"Where were you last night? You weren't at Bonnie's when I woke up this morning." She looked accusing; with good right. _I said _way _too much last night_. But I was still gonna try to avoid telling her if I could.

"I was with...Stefan," I told her. I hoped Damon missed the small pause that was me struggling to say his name. I hoped Jenna didn't read too much into it either; I hadn't actually slept in _his_ arms after all. "I heard a burglar when I was upstairs. I called Damon and Stefan," _you should have said _Stefan_ and Damon,_ "to help. Stefan got hurt..." Unconsciously I sneaked a peak at Damon's hand out the corner of my eye; he'd got hurt too_. Though not as badly,_ I tried to remind myself. _Slicing your hand's not really the same as a stab wound to the chest._

"So why shouldn't Bonnie have invited you in?" Her tone still held the anger and disappointment that she felt towards me for pulling a stunt like that; but the expression on her face was simply smug. She had me...and she knew it. I heard Damon sigh beside me and I could only too easily picture him rolling his eyes.

"Erm..."

"Lose the crap, Elena," she said in a way that made my lie seem even more pathetic. "I _know _that's not what happened."

"I didn't tell her anything, I swear," Alaric said from the doorway, holding a tray of cups and a coffee put in his hands.

"Am I the only one who's not in the know?" Jenna exclaimed. "Whatever the 'know' is."

"Erm..." Alaric said as he put the tray down and desperately tried to come up with something.

"Matt doesn't know anything," I offered unreassuringly. "Neither does Caroline."

"She would if I wanted her to," Damon muttered, his head bent towards me.

"But you three!" Jenna exclaimed, oblivious to our exchange. "And I think it's safe to assume Stefan...and Bonnie after last night."

"Jeremy and John too," I admitted, then a second later; "Damon!" I cried, turning in my seat and instinctively laying my hand on his thigh just above his knee, my other coming to rest on his shoulder. "John?" I asked, not at all wanting to know the answer. Just so long as he hadn't buried him.

"Morgue," he replied solemnly. I nodded my head once in silent acknowledgement.

"The morgue?" Jenna said in the choked voice of someone whose anger now seemed silly.

"He got more hurt than Stefan," Damon explained, sensing that I couldn't. "I'm sorry for your loss, Jenna." His eyes were focused on her for the moment, but he still entwined his hand with mine and gently squeezed. Letting me know he wasn't ignoring me.

Alaric wasn't quite as unobservant as Jenna. "Where's Stefan?" He asked us cautiously, looking accusingly at our hands; leading Jenna notice too. _Here comes the fun part..._

"He's somewhere..." Damon said dismissively.

"What happened?" Alaric asked. I purposefully made myself a cup of coffee and drank it in continuous sips so as to avoid speaking.

"Long story short," Damon began, when it became apparent that I wasn't going to explain anytime soon; "I kissed Elena last night and it sparked something. We've had trouble keeping away from each other since... She and Stefan had a fight. She chose me," here he smiled briefly, causing my own lips to smile around the rim of my cup; before concluding; "and then he stormed out and is probably off brooding somewhere as we speak. He's so very good at that after all."

"So you're with Damon now?" Jenna asked me, looking very much as if she wanted to laugh. "What happened to him being an ass?" Now she did chuckle slightly; unlike Alaric who was eyeing Damon as if evaluating him. I sank into the cushions, wishing they'd swallow me whole so I didn't have to deal with this right now. "I'll take that as a yes." She was smirking slightly, but it slowly disappeared as she remembered what we'd been discussing before that.

I sighed. "We have to tell her don't we?" I asked Damon reluctantly out the corner of my mouth.

"Unless you manage to come up with a decent explanation this time, yes," he told me.

_Great_, I thought. "You mind taking over for a while?" I asked him aloud. "You know more about the beginning of the story than I do."

"Well shouldn't we start with the big thing?"

"What big thing?" Jenna asked curiously.

"Oh you know," Damon said, his typical expression coming into play. "That I've been a vampire since 1864..."

"A vamp-?" She inquired, a look of shock and disbelief on her face. "But... Stefan – your brother... He-?"

"Stefan's a vampire too," I sighed.

"You're _serious_...aren't you..?" Her shock had increased, and there was now slight fear in her eyes whenever she glanced at Damon. "And this is what everyone knows about? This is what you've all been keeping from me?"

"I'm sorry, Jenna."

"Me too," Alaric said, kneeling down next to her chair and squeezing her hand.

"How do you know about all this?" She asked him softly. "Wait; you're not..?" She pulled her knees up to her chest and backed into the cushions.

"No," he said strongly, and she relaxed a little. "Isobel researched paranormal activity in this area, and in this town specifically. I didn't put much stock in it at first but when she was killed... Well, it wasn't by just anyone," he said, throwing a pointed look at Damon.

"Sorry about that, Rick," Damon said looking down from his accusing gaze, his mouth small.

"He didn't kill her exactly," Alaric said quickly, sensing Jenna's rising panic at being in such close proximity to Damon. "He turned her; which was even worse in my opinion."

"She asked me to," Damon said in defence.

"Did she ask you to sleep with her too?"

"Well, I did offer to go straight to the turning, but she insisted."

"Do you mind not talking about her like that?" I asked them quietly.

"I'm sorry," Damon said, forgetting about Alaric and remembering I was sat next to him. "But-"

"I know; 'she doesn't care about me, why should I care what people say about her?'" I summarised the gist of what Damon had been about to ask. "But she cared enough to not want this life for me. Too bad it was too late by then."

"Elena, you can't mean..?" Jenna asked anxiously.

"I don't know, Jenna," I told her honestly. I hadn't really thought about it with Stefan, and of course he'd never brought it up. But now I did think about it; did I want to turn? Probably not. If I got to spend forever with Damon though..? Maybe. It didn't help that my mind kept wanting to say Stefan, but that would change with time. And I had time.

I noticed that Damon was looking at me expectantly. Was he seriously hoping for an answer _now_? 'Later,' I mouthed.

"Who else is..?" Jenna asked. I'd rather hoped she wouldn't; she didn't seem ready to know about Jeremy yet. I wouldn't be if I didn't already know.

"Well, let's see there's me, Stefan, Isobel, Katherine – but I killed that bitch last night, Vicki – probably shouldn't have done that; and Pearl and Anna – they're both dead too though."

"Anna?" She looked suspicious, and scared. _I'm not gonna get away with lying to her, am I?_ I asked myself. _Nope._

"And Jeremy," I sighed. "Anna gave him some of her blood, presumably before the festivities; after John killed her last night Jeremy used it to turn."

"Jeremy?" She seemed on the edge of a breakdown. I didn't blame her. I remembered only too well how I'd felt when I found out about all this. Loving Stefan was the only thing that made it worth going through it. Hopefully she'd feel the same when it came to dealing with Jeremy. I know she can do it.

"I know how you feel, Jenna. I've been through this," I reminded her in an effort to reassure and calm. She was really stressing. "It's hard, I'm not gonna lie. But you can get through this. We're all gonna help you." Alaric and Damon gave murmurs of agreement. "You ready to know the whole story?"

She nodded mutely after a moment's thought.

"Okay."

* * *

"Do you think she'll be alright?" I asked Damon as soon as Alaric shut the door behind us. We'd spent all afternoon filling Jenna in on everything. It was probably around seven; I wasn't wearing a watch.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side. "She'll be fine," he said, kissing the top of my head. "Just give her time to wrap her head around everything. It's a lot to take in."

"I remember."

He stopped at the driver's side so I ducked out of his hold and walked round the back of the car to get in the passenger side. He was already in place, opening the door for me.

"You don't have to do that you know."

"I wasn't raised to be an ass," he said as I climbed in. "There's a gentleman in me somewhere," he finished. It shouldn't have surprised me that he was already sat in the driver's seat as he said this. I hadn't even buckled up.

"Like I said," doing my belt up now as he turned the car around in the space that was available; "you don't have to be the perfect gentleman; and I don't want you to be. I just want you to be Damon. Be what makes you different from-" I broke off, realising I'd said too much.

"Stefan," he finished. "I noticed you struggling to say it earlier."

"The feelings don't just go away, Damon! Sorry, but... I can't just forget."

"I know," he said, understandingly. "I don't expect you to. I know it's gonna take some time. I'm just happy that you're trying," he told me. I wish he'd stop looking so happy at the fact that I'd chosen _him_, fallen for _him_... Despite his reassurances that he was okay that I wasn't ready to do anything serious yet it just made me feel guilty.

"I'd be able to try a whole lot harder if I knew where he was, knew that he was okay, that he hasn't done anything stupid..." I trailed off watching the forest whipping past the window.

"You've been thinking about that a lot today haven't you? When you're quiet?" He guessed, except we both knew he was right. "You can talk to me about this. You know that right? You don't have to hide things from me," he told me. "I care what happens to him too," he said after a while.

"I'm starving," I said sometime later.

"We're almost back to the boarding house," he informed me. "I'll make you something nice."

"Could we go to the grill?" I asked. "Obviously check on Jeremy first but, I'd like to just spend a normal night out; especially after today."

"Sure," he said, understanding in his eyes. "Whatever you want. But," he said, the hint of a smirk on his lips; "you have to explain to Caroline if she's there."

I inwardly groaned at the prospect of telling Caroline I was dating Damon. "I'll text Bonnie, she if she wants to go; she can back me up." I said as my fingers clicked away on my phone.

"Or play tag team..." Damon muttered as my phone buzzed with her response.

"Oh my God!" I must have sounded worried because Damon stomped on the brake and simultaneously pulled to the side of the road.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He said looking around, on alert mode.

"Caroline, Matt and Tyler were in an accident," I explained, and he relaxed slightly, realising there was no immediate danger. He turned his attention to me sensing that I needed him. "Matt and Tyler are okay. Caroline needed surgery. She hasn't woken up yet. I have to go to the hospital," I told him.

"What about Jeremy?" He asked.

"I'll call Alaric," I thought quickly. "Maybe he could help Jenna get used to him..."

"Give me the phone," he said. "Elena," he started to explain, after I looked at him and silently communicated my question of 'why?' "You look like you're about one more incident away from a breakdown; and I wouldn't blame you. I mean, there's John, John again, a big heaping of Katherine, equally big helping of Jeremy – maybe even more, and then there's me and Stefan to top things off nicely. And now Caroline? All this in the space of 24 hours? I've known stronger people crumble under less," he finished.

"Who?" I asked to distract myself. He was right; I could feel it. I'd somehow gotten this far, but I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to hold out. Also when he'd said it, it sounded like he'd been referring to someone, rather than just being general; I was curious.

"Me," he admitted after a moment's consideration. Sighing he turned in his seat to face me. "Last night...when you called... I've _never _been so scared in my _existence._ You sounded so... I forgot everything; nothing else mattered. I forgot that I was mad at you, I didn't care that you were with Stefan and I shouldn't have cared that much, I couldn't think about anything but getting to you and getting rid of the terror that was in your voice. I seemed calm, right? When I got you? I seemed like my normal self; I wasn't," he told me. "Relief. Relief so strong it felt like I could feel my heart again."

I didn't know what to say to that; so I didn't say anything. Undoing my seatbelt, I brought my legs up so I was knelt on the seat facing him. Leaning forwards, I placed my hands on either side of his face as I brought my lips to his. He kissed back of course, but let me lead for the most part. It was a slow kiss, sensual and smouldering, warming me up and melting me from the outside in and the inside out, so that when they met it seemed to sizzle beneath my skin.

We were both panting when I pulled back. "What was that for?" He asked; the breath he could get ghosting across my lips; I hadn't pulled back that far.

"Kind of a thank you, I guess," I told him, sitting back in my seat. "Is there a way of saying 'I'm flattered' without it sounding like; 'yeah, but I don't feel the same and probably never will.'"

"Not really," he replied. "But after that kiss I have a hard time believing that you don't feel something pretty strong."

"It's getting stronger," I told him. "I never thought it would, especially when I first met you, but it is," I assured him. "It's a good thing," I said, after noticing him decide against asking me. At least I assumed that had been his question.

"Glad you think so," he said lightly, but the small smile on his lips was genuine. "Do we have a destination?" He asked, changing the subject and indicating the road.

I knew it was likely that going to the hospital, seeing Matt and Caroline, would be the last shove I needed. _Bonnie knew about them though_, I remembered; _maybe she's there_. _She can be the comforting friend_. If I was honest to the degree of being selfish, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and forget all the bad things from the last two days in a peaceful night of dreamless sleeping. Wrapped in Damon's comforting hold; somehow I doubted that, like last night, I would manage to sleep without it.

"Let's go home," I sighed. I rested my head on his shoulder after he'd pulled out again, closing my eyes...

I woke later to the faint glow of lamplight, visible from where my head lay against Damon's chest. "Hey, sleepyhead," he said as I groggily sat up and rubbed my eyes. "It's just after eleven, and Jeremy's fine before you ask." He told me, sitting up too. _He knows me well,_ I thought. "You still hungry?"

As if on cue my stomach grumbled loudly. "I think that's a yes," I said chuckling slightly. Then it hit me where we were; in his room, on his bed, and I was with him now, not Stefan. My stomach began to feel uncomfortable for a reason besides hunger, and I realised I was nervous. Nervous in the cute way you're supposed to be; that I wasn't when I was with Stefan for the first time.

Damon didn't seem to notice this though, as he stood up and held his hand out to me. "Let's go get you something then." I put my feelings behind me as got up and took his hand.

* * *

I woke the next morning feeling surprisingly relaxed after yesterday. Then again I'd basically fallen asleep again at the dinner table last night. I'd felt bad; Damon was a surprisingly good cook; I only managed to eat about half before my head started drooping into my plate.

Damon had carried my back upstairs to bed – despite my protests. He'd even tucked me in before lying on top of the covers next to me. He told me he was staying up to keep an eye on Jeremy when I asked. I'd meant to roll over and lay half-on top of him so he would have to stay all night, but I'd fallen asleep before I'd gotten that far.

He was here though so maybe he stayed of his own accord. I smiled when I saw he'd put a clock on the bedside table and I sat up a little so I could read it properly. It was after nine.

"I would have woken you sooner, but I figured you wouldn't want to go to school today," Damon said.

"I hadn't even thought about school," I said aloud. In my head I was going; '_it's Monday?' _It didn't seem as if all the events could possibly have fitted into two days. "But yes; I don't want to go," I told him. "I have too much to deal with here. I'm not gonna waste my time sitting in school. Missing one days not gonna kill me." I sat up and ran a hand through my hair, the other rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Breakfast?"

"Home?" I countered. "I could do with clothes...and a shower."

"Sure."

* * *

"You realise you're not showering with me, right?" I said at the bottom of the stairs.

I saw his foot retreat a fraction from the bottom stair. "Of course. I'll go tidy the kitchen shall I? I didn't really do much the last time," he said. "It's _pretty_ messy."

"Take your time, I plan on being a while," I told him, beginning to climb the stairs.

And I succeeded in said plan. I spent a solid ten minutes just stood under the spray, trying to relax my muscles as I let the water wash everything away; everything except Stefan it seems. He was the one thing I couldn't seem to get rid of. No matter how hard I scrubbed, or how many times I shampooed. I gave up in the end and shut the water off.

It was nearly an hour later when I turned the hairdryer off and took a look at the result in the mirror. After my parents death, I'd hoped to get back to the happier, 'fun' Elena, I'd been before the accident. I looked at my tired eyes, the shadows underneath them standing out against my cheeks – they were paler than usual. My mouth hung open slightly as if I didn't have the will to hold it shut. I was exhausted. I realised that as I studied my reflection. I felt it too.

Damon had spotted all this yesterday, I realised; _had I really looked this bad?_ I hoped not. But I'd only been covering the mental exhaustion; not the physical. I grabbed my make-up bag; _that can soon change._ Then I noticed my wardrobe choice; dull, boring coloured tee shirt, old worn jeans. _Maybe I should change that too..._

I finally appeared downstairs with my hair pulled back into a comfortable pony tail, my face had been concealed and blushed; I'd replaced my former attire with a bright red shirt and relatively new, indigo jeans.

My nose caught the scent of freshly brewed coffee and my body gravitated towards the kitchen before my mind had a chance to catch up and correct it. It caught up after I'd stepped over the threshold. My eyes went to three distinct places in the room. My thoughts were going; _John. Katherine. _Stefan. Loss, fear and relief, and then something else which I couldn't even describe.

"_Elena_?" Damon was in front of me, his hands on either side of my face, he looked nervous.

_When did my breathing get so fast? When did I start struggling to breathe? Is there an earthquake? _My vision was shaking; probably due to the small tremors running through my body; _when did those start? _I felt a small relief when my vision began to turn blurry; I just hopped Damon managed to catch me before I hit the floor.

* * *

"Wha... Whrm I?" My eyes and voice were both heavy with sleep and the after-effects of passing out.

"Shh," Damon's hand was on my shoulder, gently pushing me back down into something soft; I realised I must be in bed. But I wasn't sure on whose. "I should have realised letting you go home was a bad idea. I'm going to have to insist that you stay here for a while." His bed then. "At least your mind's trying to protect itself," he said.

"I...I Just- Saw John. And Blood. And Katherine. _Stefan._" I wasn't making much sense.

"I noticed," he sighed. "It just seemed to hit you. You started to hyperventilate, you were shaking... When you fell to the floor in my arms... You look _so much _like Katherine. I could see you breathing and still... I've never loved anyone as much as you; not even Katherine. You scared me," he said honestly.

I smiled. I remembered only too well how he'd been after he'd found out she didn't care about him. You have to be in love to have your heart broken that thoroughly. The fact that he loved me more than that...

"How long was I out?" I asked him, still with a smile on my face.

"Let me put it this way," he said. "Would you like sandwiches with your afternoon tea?"

"Afternoon?" I moved to sit up and this time he let me, presumably satisfied that I could do so without getting dizzy again. "Um...no. I think I'm gonna go for a walk, clear my head. I might have something when I get back though."

"Would you like company?"

"Would you mind terribly if I went alone..?" I asked cautiously, trying to gage his reaction. There was some hurt, but mostly worry. "I promise to take my phone and have it on at all times," I told him. "And I won't go far. Up to the falls or the lake maybe? And I'm not telling you that so you can sneak up there and keep an eye on me from between the trees," I warned him. "I need five minutes to myself without vampires; even the good ones."

* * *

It felt good to be outside; the sun on my face the breeze in my hair... The images of the last two days going round and round in my head. Well I came here to clear my head, that means dealing with everything that I previously shoved away because I had something else to deal with at the time.

_Where to start?_ Though I knew I'd have to do it eventually, I wasn't ready to deal with Stefan yet. I figured I'd start with John and then move onto Katherine and see where I went from there.

John took longer than I thought he would. I thought there would just be the issue of Katherine killing him; _did I care? Was I grieving? Did I wish it hadn't happened?_ I did care, though I didn't think I was grieving exactly. And of course I wished it hadn't happened. I didn't exactly like the man but I'd never wish that death on him. Then I started thinking about other things. _How did I feel about him now? Did he still feel like and uncle to me? Or would I only ever be able to think of him as my biological father from now on?_ Mostly I just felt regret; I felt regret that I'd never got to know my real father, that I'd never cared enough to make the effort. I regretted finding out the way I had, and letting him know like I did. We'd never even had chance to discuss it...

We never had the chance to discuss anything because Katherine took him away. This time I could honestly say that I was relieved she was gone. Things would have gotten bad very quickly if Damon hadn't killed her. It was good not to have to worry where she was all the time, what she was up to, what she was planning...

I glanced up now and again – more out of habit than a desire to take in the scenery – but Damon wasn't in sight, and neither was anything else. Gone was the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was always being watched by someone, or some_thing_ would probably be more accurate.

I was just starting to relax when I happened to look up and notice where my feet had taken me; a small clearing, by the edge of the lake. I'd walked here before on two occasions; once with Jeremy, when I told him I was adopted, and the other time, I'd been in this exact location, trying to convince Stefan that he shouldn't end it...

"Elena?" _Why is he surprised to see me? _I thought. _I told him where I was going. And I also told him..._

"Damon, I told you not to follow-" I said whilst turning around. But it wasn't Damon that was stood behind me. "_Stefan_?" All the air seemed to whoosh out of my lungs. I couldn't think of anything else to say, I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.

"Elena," he sighed. "I didn't think you'd be here..."

"I was walking- Where did you go? Yesterday morning." _Was it really only yesterday? _"You left."

"I needed to... I didn't think you'd appreciate me doing anything rash," he said. "Sorry if I _worried _you." I could hear the quotation marks.

"Stefan, I still care what happens to you. That's never going to change, I promise." He seemed to believe me, I saw as the hostility went out of his eyes.

"I know; I shouldn't have, I'm sorry. It's Damon I'm- Except I can't seem to be mad at him either," he told me. "These things happen. I always knew it was possible...especially when you two got closer," he sighed. "In response to your question; yesterday I imagine I was doing the same thing you came up here to do. Clearing my head as it were," he said.

"There's a lot to clean out..." I agreed.

"Including me?"

I nodded. "Everything happened so quickly. It's Monday! This only started Saturday night... It seemed like I did everything yesterday. Dealing with Jeremy, everything with you, then I had to explain to Jenna..." I trailed off. "I'm _exhausted._"

"You look it," he told me, in the nice way though. The way he used to. Then he'd stroke my hair and tell me to go to bed early and that he'd be there when the sun came up...

"I mean," I said, dragging myself out of my reverie, "Caroline's in the hospital! And I haven't even gotten round to visiting her yet. I was gonna go last night," I told him. "But Damon said that if I did anything else I would probably suffer some sort of breakdown. He was probably right. I passed out when I went home this morning-"

"Tell me what happened?" He asked, cutting me off. He gestured to the rotting remnants of some old shack. I followed him over and sat down, before proceeding to tell him everything that had happened in his absence.

* * *

"Wow," was all he had to say. It felt like I'd talked enough to be telling him about the previous week, rather than the previous day.

"So, what about you? Clearing your head?" I inquired. "I mean the last time you did that you came here and thought about-" I watched in shock as the tiniest hint of guilt slipped over his features and settled in his eyes. "_No!_" I yelled. "No, don't you _dare, _Stefan."

"Why not?" he asked me.

"Because I love you," I told him, my eyes starting to fill. "In the exact same way as before. Those kinds of feelings don't just disappear within the space of a day," I admitted. "You can't do this, Stefan. You managed to go on when Katherine was gone; couldn't you try to do the same now?"

"No," he replied. "See when Katherine was gone, I began to realise that I'd never really loved her, that it had been a lie. With you," he sighed. "I'm always going to be in love with you, Elena. And that's always going to be true." He paused. "And it's always going to hurt this much. And there are two options to solve that problem; blood, or death."

"And you prefer _death_?" I shouted, my voice rising an octave.

"I _prefer_," he said, his voice calm, "saving all of us from the pain my presence will cause if I stay here – on blood. Because we both know that's the only other option."

"And what's my option? Let you do this then go home to Damon and forget about you."

"You'll be happier with Damon," he told me. "He's the 'better, hotter, superior choice' as he put it. He'll take care of you... He'd better take care of you," he threatened under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I left you both a letter," he replied. "They're on my desk. I figured you'd find them eventually, after you'd had chance to get over everything, then it wouldn't hurt-"

"You weren't even going to say goodbye?" My voice broke on the 'bye.'

"If I did, I knew I'd be less inclined to come up here and do what I have to. I knew I'd want to stay and try and win you back," he told me.

"Why don't you?" I challenged.

"Because I wouldn't win," he said. "And I can't just be your friend, Elena."

"I'd rather have you in my life – _on blood_ – as a friend then not have you in my life at all. Couldn't you just..."

"Leave?" He guessed. "I'd always be drawn back to you. Always showing up when you weren't prepared. I'd forever be a black cloud in your sky," he said. "I couldn't do that to you. I know what it feels like; Damon did it to me for over a century. We're brothers after all. I'd be able to do it just as well, and I know I would."

"But you can do this?" I asked him. "Even though it'll break my heart...and Damon's. He cares about you too," I told him, "whether you believe it or not."

"I believe it," he told me. "But you have to understand that I'm doing this to make you happy," he said. "In the _long run_;" he had to raise his voice to be heard over my protests of '_that in no way whatsoever would him doing this make me happy_.' "In the long run, the both of you will have a better and happier life if I'm not in it."

"_Please,_ Stefan," I said, close to tears. "I am _begging _you not to do this."

"There's no reason for me not to."

"Yes there is," I told him, taking his face in my hands. "Me." And right then I felt it again, that spark that had drawn me to Stefan since I'd first met him, the one that had made me fall in love with him despite everything. I hadn't been lying; it was still there. "You have to fight."

Just as I was about to lean forwards, I felt Stefan's lips crash against mine. It was as good as I remembered it, but there was something more... _Why did I have to learn he could kiss like Damon _now? This was passion like I'd never known with Stefan before.

His hands were knotted in my hair, holding me to his lips, not that I wanted to go anywhere. His tongue was vastly dominating mine, and I let it. I loved the feel of him tasting me _this_ way. There was a fierce hunger in the way that he kissed me, it was almost a desperate devouring of my mouth. Why now, did he finally show this side of him? This wild, passionate person that could forget to be serious and just live in the moment was definitely a Stefan that I would be interested in knowing.

I broke apart, my lungs screaming for oxygen. My hands had clung onto his neck during our kiss, so I moved then down to his rib cage, winding my arms around him and resting my head on his shoulder. His detangled themselves from my hair, and wrapped round my shoulders like they always did. "Does this mean you're going to fight?" I asked him, my voice still breathless.

He was panting too. I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest under mine. "No," he sighed, his voice wavered slightly. _He's still going to,_ I realised. I tried to move but his grip around he was strong as a vice. "That was saying goodbye."

"Stefan." The tears were falling freely due to my panic. He loosened his grip on me and I pulled back so I could see his face, my hands resting on his cheeks.

"I love you, Elena."

"I love you too, Stefan." I tried to rid my eyes of tears so my last vision – and I accepted that this was the last time I would see him, it seemed his mind way made, no matter how much I despised the decision – of him wouldn't be blurry. I saw that he was crying too.

He moved his arms from my shoulders and pressed his left hand to where my right lay against his cheek. He turned his mouth to the side and kissed my palm before tearing my hand away and holding it between us; palm up. His right had come around and the sun reflected off the silver. In that moment I hated the sunlight.

"I want you to have this," he told me, indicating his ring. "You should close your eyes," he said. I nodded, taking one last look at the face I would never see again; trying to hold it in my memory. I wanted this moment to last forever. I didn't want to experience what was coming next; I didn't want to see. So I kissed his lips one more time and closed my eyes.

If it hurt, he didn't let me know. There was a soft breeze, a whisper in the wind... I felt his ring land in my palm, still held in front of me where he had placed it. I didn't open my eyes though. My body knew he was gone, felt the heavy silver and lapis in my hand, sensed the empty space in front of me. But in my mind... I could still see him sat there, still here his words; _"I love you, Elena."_

"I love you, Stefan," I whispered. Then I opened my eyes and my tears blinded me as they flooded my eyes and crashed to the dusty wood below.

* * *

I'm not sure how I managed to find my way back to the boarding house. My eyes were so puffy from crying that they felt swollen, and it was hard to open them much further than a slit. They stung too, but I didn't mind that. I was clinging on with my life to anything that might distract me.

_He's gone…_

The words echoed round and round in my mind. I knew it was true, my body knew that, but my mind refused to accept it, refused to try and picture the rest of my life without Stefan in it.

The door loomed up in front of me suddenly, and I wasn't ready to face what lay inside. I found myself turning around and beginning to walk the other way. I didn't want to be the one to inflict this on Damon.

_Damn his hearing,_ I thought as I heard the door open behind me, and him take a step out onto the porch. I didn't turn around; I knew my face would give everything away, and he'd make a fuss and be 100% focused on making me feel better and I'd be looking at his face, his expression always so strong and reassuring even during a crisis, knowing that my words could be the thing that finally makes it crumble. Unfortunately, my blatantly looking the other way was also suspicious.

I cleared my throat, not that I thought that would get rid of the clamp that was around it or make my voice sound like I _hadn't _been crying for the last hour or so. "Inside; sit down," I told him. "I'm coming, just give me a minute."

"Elena?" _Oh, it's Jeremy._ "Is something wrong..? You sound kinda-"

"Where's Damon?" I asked, cutting him off.

"Here," Damon replied. I prayed he would stay over there and not walk over to me. "Are you going to turn around and come inside?" He asked. "Oh, and telling me what's wrong would be good to."

"Like I said," I told him, trying to keep my voice level; "just give me a minute, please? Just go inside and sit down. You can count the seconds if you like."

"Elena..?"

"_Please, Damon."_

"Okay." I didn't move till I could no longer hear his footsteps – meaning they'd hit the carpet – and heard the click of the door as he shut it behind him.

My eye's wouldn't return to normal within the space of a minute, but I still worked on clearing my throat some more and wiping the tear tracks from my cheeks. I also accepted that I wouldn't be able to breathe right for a while, so I focused to make sure I breathed at all. I felt like giving up.

I heard the squeak of a chair on the floor and guessed my minute was up and Damon was getting impatient. I too one more breath, filling my lungs to capacity, then turned and walked purposefully towards the door as I let it out.

Damon was stood at the top of the stairs that dropped down into the parlor. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw him roll his eyes at me. Normally I might have been confused, but I didn't have room for other emotions at the minute. Thankfully he explained for me.

"Really, Elena?" He said. "Just because you had an allergic reaction to something doesn't mean I find you any less beautiful. It's not even that bad," he said as he walked over to me. "It looks more like you've been crying really. _A lo-_" He paused. "Have you been crying?"

"You need to sit down," I told him. And without a word started walking towards the sitting room. I sat on one of the sofas and he sat beside me.

"Okay," he said calmly, trying to hide the worry in his voice. "I'm sat down. Are you going to talk to me now? What the _hell_ made you cry this much?"

I opened my mouth to start and explain, but I couldn't talk. Saying something aloud always made it more final, and I wasn't ready to accept this yet. I needed more time to digest it. So I took his hand, and dropped Stefan's ring into it, hopping he'd come to it on his own.

He stared at it for a few minutes in silence. I could almost imagine what was going through his head. Worry; I'd met Stefan alone in the woods, and Damon had no idea what kind of mood he was in and what he was capable of now; he'd shown us both a side we'd never seen before during that fight. Confusion; why did I have his ring? Why would he give it to me? Has he left town? What happened between us? And lastly; revelation – the realization of what this meant. He glanced to the window; saw the sunlight streaming in… His right hand came up and he examined his own ring; the twin of the one in his other hand. He looked beseechingly up into my face. "Elena?" His voice broke, so vulnerable was the way he said my name. He was silently begging me to correct him; but I couldn't do that.

I nodded, tears starting to fall from my eyes again; I was surprised they hadn't ran out by now… He drew in a ragged breath, his teeth gritted, and his eyes shining… _He's trying not to cry._ Damon Salvatore – _the _Damon Salvatore – was trying not to cry…and failing. His fingers reached up to touch the tears as if he couldn't believe it either. I wiped away the ones he missed.

"Upstairs," I told him. "He…he left- A letter. On his desk." That was all I managed to tell him before my voice came unrecognizable as sobs of heartache drew their way up my throat and out my mouth. Damon's arms came around me, and then I was crying because they held me the same way.

_Happier in the long run..._ The words popped into my head like a slap in the face. I didn't feel like I'd ever be happy again. How could I be happy when I would never see him again? I missed him so much it was like a physical pain in my chest that no amount of comforting by Damon would ever be able to fully take away. This pain was gonna be a part of me for the rest of my life. _Did I want that life?_ As one of Damon's tears landed in my hair I realized I wouldn't be alone in that pain and I held onto him a little tighter.

We were interrupted by the sudden sound of my phone ringing. I heard Damon mutter for me to leave it, but the only time anybody rang me these days was when there was an emergency. And wouldn't it just be the icing on the cake for something to be wrong _now_.

I looked at the caller ID; it was Jenna. "Jenna, what is it?" I asked, trying to inject some life into my voice and at the same time hide the croakiness that always gave away that you'd been crying your heart out.

"It's John," she said. She sounded nervous. _Maybe the morgue was making her un-easy..._ At least I assumed that was where she was.

"What about John?" I asked.

Damon mouthed, 'what's going on?' I mouthed, 'John,' as my reply.

"He's not here," Jenna said in my ear. She sounded scared...

And so was I. The phone dropped out of my shaking hand. "John's not at the morgue," I managed to tell Damon. "Katherine wouldn't..."

"Katherine did."

* * *

_Anyone cry reading the scene with Stefan? I was struggling to see when I was typing it. I kept having to stop, then I'd go back, write a sentence or two and I'd be welling up again. I couldn't stop crying during those last few sentences it took me about twenty minutes to write it._

_There will be a long one shot set after this, and I mean directly after this, to deal with the whole 'John' thing, then they'll be another sequel someday, maybe set a year later or something like that, so add me to your Author Alert if you're interested. It will probably see Elena living a happy life with Damon and Jeremy tagging along; with some drama of course. Life's not all fun and games after all. _

_In case any of you are wondering what Stefan wrote in his letters to Damon and Elena, for now, I don't actually know. I'm going to include Elena's, at least, in the sequel. But if you request it, I'll send you the contents when I write it._

_My first finished fan fic! Sorry, but that's a big achievement for me. _

_Again, thank you to those who have read from start to finish; that means a lot to me. _

_If you would be so inclined; could you please leave one last review? _

_Thanks, Ash x._


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